Miles from Normal
by two2
Summary: -Percy gets kidnapped. The gods remain suspiciously unresponsive on the matter. Leo is distant and dishonest. Doubt emerges. Annabeth goes crazy. Jason is conflicted. And Luke is back. It's a mess. -Lukercy. Jercy. Percabeth. Caleo. Post-Gaea War. Rated T for now. -Warnings: Slow Build, Swearing, OOC, OCs, GAY, Character Death, Mystery, Angst.
1. Prologue

Chapter I

Percy drummed his fingers against the wooden surface of the table he sat at. His eyes focusing in and out as Mr. Dupont droned on about the difference between "ou" and "où".

To be honest, Percy had no idea why he chose to take French instead of Spanish or Latin. Latin was the obvious choice, and quite frankly the smartest. But as Annabeth kept reminding him, he was far from being smart. So Percy blamed it on curiosity. And the lack of thinking that took place in his head when he made the choice.

The son of Poseidon let out a silent sigh as he shifted in his seat - one of those wooden stools the school's low budget provided - and stared at the clock that hung over the classroom's door. The hand indicating the seconds was moving at such a slow pace, he almost whined out loud in frustration.

Leaning forward on his desk with his elbow propped up against the doodle-covered wood of his table and his hand cradling his head, his eyes landed on the old french teacher.

Mr. Dupont was a sixty year old man from Marseille, France, that for some reason decided to come to the States and teach a bunch of uninterested teenagers about his native language. He was always hunched over and spit flew across the classroom whenever he'd talk like a clementine ejecting its juice when squeezed (Wise girl would be so proud of him for using a simile).

Percy felt kinda bad for the bloke, he had huge pit stains and a bushy unibrow stretched across his greasy forehead.

If Smelly Gabe hadn't been turned to stone and would've lived until he was old enough to retire (not that he actually ever worked any), he'd probably look like Mr. Dupont. They were both overweight and stunk worse than the dumpster at the back of the school. And if Mr. Dupont thought that his baggy corduroy pants could hide the visible bump that appeared whenever he was talking to Amber and her group of skimpy-dressed friends, he was dead wrong.

Currently, the old pervert was pacing back and forth in front of the black board, his bald head reflecting the light shining from the fluorescent ceiling-lamps and his cheap dress shoes squeaking against the ground beneath him.

The raven-haired teen stretched his aching limbs and leaned on his other arm, the former one having turned numb from the weight of his head.

Percy closed his eyes slowly and his body relaxed, shoulders sagging as he started to doze off. He could faintly hear Mr. Dupont's nasal voice and the low chatter of the students around him; the son of Poseidon was currently thinking about his next class and the huge red F he was sure he'd receive in English Literature because he hadn't read the book he was supposed to finish for today, let alone buy it.

Percy was mentally preparing himself for the disappointed look he would be receiving from his teacher and step-father, Mr. Blofis, when a knock sounded at the door, jolting him from his thoughts.

His gaze lifted to the door as Mr. Dupont cleared his throat and spoke, "Come in."

A stern-looking woman in her late thirties wearing an ironed white blouse that fit tightly around her overbearing chest and a pair of ankle-lengthed dress pants entered the classroom and approached Mr. Dupont.

She muttered a few words to the old French bloke that served as our teacher, who in turn nodded his head frantically and turned to the half-awake students blinking blearily at the couple. His beady eyes scanned the room before settling on Percy.

"Perseus Jackson, the principal would like to see you in his office," he drawled in his thick French accent.

The raven-haired teen hesitantly stood up and started across the rows of desks to reach the two adults who stood at the front of the classroom.

"Prenez vos affaires, Madame says it might take some time," the old man spoke again. The whole classroom was dead silent as Percy backtracked to his place and grabbed his belongings that consisted of a mostly empty notebook and a spare pencil.

He finally reached his teacher and the lady that looked like she had a stick up her ass. The latter one nodded at the former and barely glancing in his direction, motioned for him to follow her out of the classroom.

He reluctantly followed her into the hallway. The locker-covered walls left little space for windows and this early in the morning the sun wasn't fully up yet so it was eerily dark and silent. The only sounds that surrounded them were the clicking of her heels and the shuffling of his feet.

Percy gripped his notebook to his chest in anxiousness. _What had he done now?_ He couldn't come up with a good reason as to why he would be summoned by the principal.

They finally arrived at the principal's office and Percy's stomach lurched. The door was closed and he couldn't see any lights on through the little gap between the floor and said door.

"After you," the woman beside him said with a sneer.

Percy knocked on the door twice. The sound resonated through the silent hallway as he waited for an answer.

A low husky voice that sounded uncannily familiar appeared from the other side of the door. "You may enter."

Gripping the handle of the door, the son of Poseidon twisted it and pushed the door open with ease. Entering, he noted that the principal sat in a huge leather chair that faced the wall so he couldn't see him.

"Sit," the familiar voice said, sending a jolt up Percy's spine as he obliged, taking the seat on the other side of the glass desk that separated them.

"You… You wanted to see me, Sir?" Percy said in a small voice. He hesitantly set his notebook and pencil down on the principal's desk before leaning back into the wooden back-rest of his chair.

Silence. Then a laugh.

The principal's laugh rang in the small room and Percy felt his blood run cold at the familiar sound that emitted from the man that sat in the turned chair.

Slowly, the chair swung around and the man that sat in it came face to face with Percy.

Percy's eyes widened as he took in the man's appearance. Familiar blue eyes met his and Percy's heart stuttered. There, in his principal's leather chair, sat Luke Castellan, a mischievous grin stretching the scar that ran down his left cheek.

He looked exactly the same. His sandy blond hair was a bit longer and fell in his smiling eyes. He still had that perfect sun-kissed tan that Percy himself had obtained after hours and hours of training out in the sun and his eyes sparkled with glee at the Sea god's son's reaction.

"You-You're alive," Percy stuttered.

Luke leaned forward in his seat and smirked at him knowingly, making Percy's stomach flutter.

Percy blushed at the feeling in his tummy, confused as to why it was there. _I'm surprised, that's why_ , he told himself.

"That I am, Percy," Luke exclaimed, chuckling softly.

"You-You're…How?" Percy demanded.

Luke's grin widened . "Use your brain, Perce."

The son of the Sea God frowned as he raked his mind for a possible explanation.

A dozen seconds passed before Luke let out a breathy laugh and looked down at Percy with fondness. "Forgot how slow you were," Percy's eyes narrowed at the Son of Hermes's words, "the Doors of Death, Perce."

The ravenette gaped at the older man. Luke had escaped Hades's realm while the Doors of Death were open and had probably been living in the mortal world since then. "Where were you during the war then? We could have used your skills!"

Luke's eyes darkened. "You mean the Gods could have used my skills. The Gods would have used me. I didn't come back to relive what I died for."

"Luke, you can't be serious," the teen exclaimed, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair he sat at in frustration. Percy couldn't believe this guy. "You made the right choice! You sacrificed yourself to save Olympus and here you are, telling me the same bullshit you told m-"

"It's not bullshit, Percy. It's the truth! Do you think your father would have claimed you that first year at camp if he didn't need you to clear his name! I thought I had made the right choice, I believed I had. But then I realized, once I had come back from the dead and found out that another war was brewing, that Kronos was right and I was foolish and stupidly in love not to fully devote myself in the task of razing Olympus," Luke cut him off, his eyes blazing with anger.

The son of Poseidon clenched his fists to stop them from shaking. "Don't bring Annabeth into this," he growled.

The blonde's eyebrows drew together in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Luke! Don't blame your disloyalty on Annabeth. Keep her out of this! You don't know what you're talking about, it wasn't the gods' fault that Gaea awoke," Percy retorted.

"Yes it is, if they weren't such shitty rulers she wouldn't have felt obliged to wake up and pulverize them!"

"Well, you see how well that worked out!"

"That's only because the gods used their children to fight their war!"

"That's not true! They helped us defeat the giants!"

"Only because you guys wouldn't have been able to get rid of them otherwise! They didn't help you during the real battle, did they?"

"That's not the point! They're not supposed to interfere, Luke! You know that!"

"Why? Because some dumb rule-"

"Ahem!"

Both bickering boys turned their gaze to the lady in the doorway. Percy had completely forgotten about her.

"We're running late, sir," she said in a quipped tone, steely gaze trained on the Son of Hermes.

Luke nodded at her before leaning back in his seat. His eyes held an unruly temper and he was still a bit red from the yelling.

Luke ran his hand through his hair and slowly unclenched his jaw before returning his gaze to the teen in front of him.

"Running late? For what?" Percy questioned, wary of what the lady had said.

"Nothing that important, to be honest. You'll see soon enough," Luke answered, grin reappearing on his lips.

"What do you mean I'll see?"

"Well, you're coming with, of course," the son of Hermes exclaimed with an amused huff.

"No, I'm not. I'm not going anywhere with you, Luke," the raven-haired male stated, sea green eyes narrowing at the blonde.

Said blonde chuckled. "Ah, I'm afraid you don't have the choice."

"What do you mean I don't-"

Before he could finish his question, the sea god's son received a blow to his neck. The teen slumped over the glass table.

The sour-faced woman stood behind the unconscious body of the younger demigod, a smile playing on her thinned lips.

"You're carrying the body," Luke ordered, his blue eyes boring into those of the stern-looking woman that had just knocked the son of Poseidon out. He stood up from his seat and walked out the door.

 _(A/N) Comment below?_


	2. They, Their, Them

_Disclaimer: all rights reserved to (uncle) Rick Riordan_

 _(A/N) Sorry for the wait. I'm no longer a part of the PJO fandom but my sis wouldn't allow me to abandon this work. Since my last time here, my writing skills have immensely changed, my maturity as well. No worries the content isn't too weird, despite a certain uncanny character (oc)._

Chapter II

When Percy slowly blinked his eyes open, he struggled to grow accustomed to the seemingly blinding light that was overhead.

His head spinning and a sour taste on his tongue, he groaned as he closed his eyes again and shakily brought his arms up to cradle his throbbing head.

"Good evening, Perseus," a melodious voice spoke from somewhere a little to his left.

The son of Poseidon's eyes flew open momentarily before closing yet again, the light still too bright for his sensitive eyes. He blindly struggled to push himself up into a sitting position, wincing when his head spun.

A weight on his chest pushed him back onto his back and he blinked up blearily at the face hovering above him.

A warm smile stretched across the angelic face, sharp and pointy white teeth in view. "Woah there, hero, be careful," the stranger spoke again. "Take it easy."

Percy barely registered what the person was saying as he felt like his head was underwater, everything seemed sluggish and disconnected.

He tried to sit up again but the weight on his chest kept him in place.

Looking down at the offending weight, he realized the person had rested their hand on his chest. Percy blinked slowly at the odd appendage. The stranger's nails were abnormally long and sharp and the skin of the hand seemed uneven and patched, scaly even.

"What-" he started to say but abruptly stopped when the stranger's hand slid up his chest to press a finger to his lips, shushing him. The long nail poked his nose and he nearly went cross-eyed as he tried to look at the finger.

His heart beat erratically in his chest, Percy wanted to slap the hand away. He fought to keep in a shudder, the stranger's finger felt like rough sandpaper against his skin.

"That's a good boy," the person spoke again in a sweet voice. Their finger slid down to drag slowly against the skin of his neck.

Percy's sight had fully recovered now, he examined the stranger above him. They had soft feminine features and almond-shaped eyes the color of melted chocolate. But what stuck out the most were the pointed teeth still on display through the wide smile on the stranger's pretty face.

"Um…" Percy started again but the stranger shut him up with a glare, hand slowing to rest on his cheek.

"Shut it, Perseus," the stranger said, voice still as sickeningly sweet as ever and the wide smile still intact. The hand was now caressing his cheek softly, and the stranger seemed oddly content, humming softly. Percy realized that the stranger was in fact male, albeit the soft and girl-like features.

"But I-" the sea god's son tried again but this time was interrupted by the stranger clutching his jaw in his hand, nails digging into the flesh of his cheeks as he squished Percy's face and leaned in till their noses practically touched. Gone was the warm and kind smile.

"I. Said. To. Shut. It," he hissed, punctuating each word with a tightening of the jaw, nails digging even further into the son of Poseidon's cheeks and eyes narrowing into near slits.

So Percy did just that. Not wanting to feel the pretty stranger's wrath or get into any more trouble than he probably already was in, he shut up.

The stranger kept the grip on his jaw, the pressure never relenting and Percy could feel the blood on his cheeks where his nails were digging into his skin. It hurt like a bitch but he had gone through much worse.

"Good boy," the stranger purred, smile returning and Percy recoiled at the praise, struggling to escape the claws (quite literally) of the vixen-like stranger.

"Ah ah ah," the pretty stranger said, tutting slowly in disapproval, grip tightening a bit and nails digging in deeper. "Bad boy, Perseus."

The son of Poseidon hissed at that but stayed still, brows furrowed and drawn into a frown.

The vixen laughed lightly, like a tinkling bell and Percy wanted to spit in his beautiful face.

"You have really pretty eyes, Perseus," he smiled down at him, chocolate-colored eyes boring into his.

Percy shifted uncomfortably as the other stared him down, his warm smile had started to become more creepy than kind and the sea god's son felt his stomach knot up in unease.

A minute or two passed, the nails set in his cheeks unmoving and the creepy smile still plastered across the stranger's face.

Percy had tried to look around to try and decipher where exactly he was but the grip on his jaw would tighten when he tried to look anywhere that wasn't the stranger's unnerving smile.

So when the stranger finally let his face go, Percy was in a total trance, having zoned out a while ago.

The cool air hitting his bruised face made him wince and he hesitantly sat up.

His eyes quickly scanned the room he was in. He found to be in a simple room, not that much different from his own at home (although his was much messier) with white walls, a closet, a night stand and a bed he was currently seated on.

He turned his gaze to the boy sitting to his left on a drawn wooden chair.

The pretty stranger was giggling innocently as if he hadn't just abused the son of Poseidon's face.

"You're so cute when you're lost," the stranger said, still giggling.

"Where am I?" Percy asked, running a shaky hand through his messy hair.

"All your questions will be answered shortly, Perseus," the pretty boy answered, before standing up and patting Percy's head endearingly. "I have to go now that you're awake. It was nice meeting you, Perseus."

Percy gaped at the boy in disbelief. "Wait, where are you-"

"Someone will fetch for you in a while," the pretty stranger cradled his aching jaw and pouted, "Luke isn't going to be happy with what I did to your face."

Percy wanted to comment on that but kept his mouth shut. He didn't understand many things right now and he didn't want to be any more confused than he already was. Questioning every and anything right now was only bound to get him more bemused.

"Here," the vixen said, reaching behind him on the night stand for a pile of clothes and handing them to the son of Poseidon, "change into these."

Percy nodded meekly, he really just wanted to be left alone now.

The set of clothing was left on his lap and the stranger slowly retreated, dropping Percy's jaw and slowly exiting the room.

Percy barely looked up as the boy left. Could he even be considered a boy? Was he a monster? Percy was confused and his head was still spinning but this time for different reasons. Questions were jumping around in his head, he had no idea what was going on. Why had Luke kidnapped him? Where was he? What was happening?

Percy let out a frustrated groan and fell back onto his back with a grunt.

What worried him most right now wasn't his current situation or what was going to happen to him but how his mother and friends were going to take the news.

Percy let out a silent string of curses as he started to think of Annabeth and how she was going to react.

Disappearing on her seemed to be a recurring event and he knew how much it troubled her. Knew how much it hurt her and how she became even if he technically wasn't there to witness it.

" _Fuck_ ," he whispered, rubbing his face in exasperation but wincing when he grazed the cut flesh of his cheeks.

Groaning in annoyance, _that little pretty rascal was going to pay_ , he sat up again and examined the clothing that sat in his lap.

Percy laid the clothing out on the bed and frowned. The clothing seemed to be more like sleep attire if anything. A pair of grey linen shorts and a simple white t-shirt.

Percy hoped they weren't expecting him to go anywhere outside because spring had barely just kicked in and he wasn't too keen on frolicking around in _linen shorts_.

Grumbling to himself, he reluctantly got out of his school clothes and put on the new outfit. Percy felt rather light in the attire, the shorts were soft and comfortable and Percy could imagine himself sleeping in them. Percy kind of wanted to close his eyes again and do just that.

But the boy (monster?) had said that someone was going to fetch for him soon so he resisted and decided to snoop around.

Percy soon discovered that the room was practically empty and most importantly locked. Which was understandable but still relatively annoying for Percy. Some part of him (most likely the demigod part of him) hated to be cooped up in small rooms with nothing to do for a long period of time.

When a good fifteen minutes had passed and no signs of anyone coming to get him, Percy had tried just about anything to get out of the room. The single coat hanger in the closet was no help unless he wanted to end his own life but even then there were no high placed hooks or ledges he could hang off of so even if he were that desperate it wouldn't be possible.

Percy had tried to use his powers to try and locate water in pipes overhead or some place near but it seemed like this room was completely shut off from everything. Percy also didn't know what he'd do once or if he had the water, it's not like he was physically apt at the moment (he had just woken up after receiving a blow to the neck) and even if he did somehow manage to escape the room, he didn't know what awaited him. Which usually wouldn't have bothered him, _heck_ Percy's known for his act first think later ethic. But really right now, he felt so drowsy and put out that he knew he wouldn't get far.

They had even somehow taken Riptide from him which left Percy baffled and _weaponless_. Which come to think of it, was something that had occurred in the past. But it still deterred him because Riptide was always on him and now he felt vulnerable and weak.

Percy wondered if he could telepathically send a message to Grover like _Help! Luke is alive and has captured me! I don't know what he's planning but please come and save me!_

Percy quickly shot down the idea because he was pretty sure that the telepathy thing was faulty and Grover was off somewhere doing his Lord of the Wild business far from where he was. Maybe if there really was no other choice, he'd give it a try. But for now Percy wasn't endangered. He could defend himself.

By the time someone finally came to get him, Percy had slightly dosed off. The sound of keys jingling and the door creaking open jostled him from his semi-sleeping state.

Another stranger, this one (thankfully) not the same pretty one but a big burly woman with broad shoulders and a shaved head.

Percy barely had the time to react before he was hauled to his feet and dragged out the door.

—–––—–—

When Annabeth woke up that morning, she was already running late on her schedule.

Making her coffee also seemed to prove that today was going to be one of those days where nothing would go as planned. The coffee maker shut down on her and she had to go for tea instead.

By the time she was dressed and out the door, Annabeth was already fifteen minutes off schedule and caffeine-deprived. This usually resulted in long and tiring days with painful headaches and a snippy attitude. Annabeth hated being off schedule, and most importantly she hated not having her coffee.

She could have easily stopped by some coffee shop somewhere in New York on her way to the Empire State building but that would only make her more late than she already was. And anyways, there were always too many people at coffee shops at this hour.

Annabeth groaned when she checked the time on her phone again. She hated being late.

She had a meeting with a minor goddess to whom she had promised to discuss the making of a chapel in her name. Not that she really had the time to design said chapel but she couldn't really say no to the goddess. Minor or not, Annabeth had come to avoid any conflict when it came to higher beings.

After that meeting, Annabeth had a lunch arranged with her mom.

Athena was a very busy goddess and quite honestly not the best company but as her former statement indicated, she had close to no time for her children so Annabeth always felt honored whenever her mother accepted to spend some time with her.

Admittedly, the lunch would probably last thirty minutes tops but it was always nice to hang with her mom. No matter how boring her philosophical talks about the impending doom humans were bringing upon themselves got.

In conclusion, Annabeth not only hated being late she just couldn't _afford_ to be late.

As young as she was, Annabeth was busy. She was the Architect for Olympus for God's sake! Time mattered, gods and goddesses were busy beings. She really could not be remotely late for anything.

Now, she wasn't an obsessive perfectionist. She just needed every second of her day to be spent wisely in order to achieve as many things as possible in the short span of 24 hours.  
Of course, she was able to see Percy and occasionally Sally or even her friends. But time was limited. There were a lot of things to do and she couldn't afford to slack off too much.

Annabeth, after moments of reflection, decided it was best if she took the Subway. So she started in the direction of the nearest Subway entrance.

The Subway entrance was 4 minutes away from her house and the trip itself would last around 15 minutes if no problems arose.

But it was on her way there that she received the call. The call that would change everything.

Annabeth paused mid-step as she heard the phone, stashed away in her satchel, ringing.

Frowning at the interruption in her walk, she hesitated and pondered over the consequences of answering. Answering meant losing precious time, answering meant being off schedule by several more minutes.

But when Annabeth saw the ID of the caller, she knew she had to answer. Sally knew Annabeth was working and couldn't afford small talk. Especially not this early in the morning.

So Annabeth answered. Before she could even say a simple "goodmorning", Sally's frantic voice came from the other end of the receiver, effectively making Annabeth stop in her tracks.

"Annabeth? Look, I'm sorry. I know how busy you are and how important your job is to you but-but," Sally said, her breath ragged as she stuttered over the last word. "Have you seen Percy? He hasn't come home last night. Paul hasn't seen him in class yesterday. He hasn't called or-or said anything. I haven't heard from him since yesterday morning."

Sally continued to ramble on details, her voice grew higher and Annabeth could hear the woman try and conceal how worried she actually was.

It was only after a minute or so, when Sally realized that Annabeth hadn't said anything yet, that she grew silent.

"Annabeth honey?" Sally asked.

"I'm here," Annabeth answered back, voice unusually calm for the current situation.

"Do you know where Percy is," Sally repeated. She could hear a bit of shuffling on the other end and a baby crying in the background.

"Sally, I-I don't know where he is."

Silence ensued as both women took in those words.

"Do you think he's at Camp?" Sally's voice was small and hopeful but the impossibility of what she suggested struck Annabeth in the gut.

"He would've warned you," the daughter of Athena muttered into her phone, her vision growing blurry.

"Maybe he broke his phone or- or lost it," Sally tried, but they both knew that however clumsy and forgetful the son of Poseidon was, if that were the case he would've still somehow contacted her.

"Maybe," Annabeth replied weakly, blinking back tears.

She had completely stopped walking and was currently standing in the middle of a busy street, the people around her cursing at her and pushing past her.

 _Percy, you're so so stupid. So fucking stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"I-I have to go," Annabeth said suddenly. She felt awful but she couldn't let this ruin her day. Her dumb - , _stupid_ \- boyfriend was probably fine.

"Anna-" Sally started to say but the daughter of Athena hung up.

 _So goddamn stupid_.

Annabeth felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she fumbled with her phone in search of her stupid boyfriend's contact.

When she found it, she immediately called his number, silently cursing him over and over in her head. _So stupid. So effing stupid._

The inevitable happened, the call went to his voicemail and she furiously hung up and wiped away the tears that were falling from her eyes.

 _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid_.

Someone rammed into her sending her phone flying out of her hand and onto the dirty ground. She bent down to pick it up as more tears came falling.

 _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

She stood up with her, now cracked, phone in hand.

 _Why does he have to be so stupid?_

The daughter of Athena pushed past the throng of people busying around her and came to the edge of the sidewalk. There, she held out her arm to the nearest approaching taxi.

 _So fucking stupid_.

Once the taxi had stopped for her, she climbed in and instructed the driver to where she was headed.

"Long Island."

"But that's-"

"I know where that is. You drive, I pay," she retorted, eyes narrowing at the man that sat behind the wheel.

The man apologized and started driving.

 _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid_.

It was only when she was chanting those words in her head that she realized who the real stupid one was. Not Percy, but her.

—

Jason had been in the middle of helping out some poor kid with his armor when Annabeth had rushed into the arena. She looked disheveled, her face was flustered, her hair was down - that was never a good sign- and she looked like she had just run a mile.

As her eyes frantically searched the blank faces that were all staring at her in puzzlement, Jason's hands, that were previously strapping the breastplate to a flimsy 10 year old's upper-body, fumbled and tugged at a strap too hard resulting in the kid squeaking.

The noise drew not only everybody in the silent arena's eyes on them but also Annabeth's.

The daughter of Athena's eyes met his and she surged forwards.

Everything was kind of eerily still as she stumbled to get to him. She tripped over her own feet and shuffled awkwardly as she hurried to approach him. When she finally was close enough to reach him, she did just that; her two hands grasped his shoulders in a tight grip and she looked dead into his eyes.

The crazed and distressed look in her eyes twisted a knot in his stomach. Her lower lip trembled as she opened her mouth before closing it seconds after when no sound was exiting.

"Annabeth," Jason said in a sort of greeting, his voice hesitant and his brows knitting into a frown. He was immensely aware that everyone else in the arena (including the little kid standing not even a foot away) was watching them intently.

"Jason," she answered back, face stoic and void of any emotion. Her voice was unusually high pitched and hoarse. Her grip on his shoulders tightened and before he knew it, she was crying.

Round thick tears came pouring down her cheeks, her iron-grip on him never relenting as she broke down in front of not only him, but the watchful eyes of campers that surrounded them.

It was in those next few seconds that two things occurred to Jason. First of all, he'd never seen Annabeth cry before. Second of all, Annabeth was at camp.

Annabeth was full-on sobbing now, her frame shaking and stuttering as  
tears rolled down her cheeks in little rivulets.

"Annabeth," Jason said, this time his voice was soothing as he looked at her in bemusement.

He removed her hands from his shoulders, prying them off would be the most accurate way to put it, and tried to take them in his but the daughter of Athena pulled them away slowly before covering her face with them.

"Annabeth," the son of Jupiter repeated, dragging her hands from her face so that he could look into her eyes.

Her grey eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks swollen and tear-streaked. But most importantly, she looked wrecked and tired.

"What's wrong," Jason asked, voice soft and a bit shaky. He hated seeing a friend like this. Annabeth and he had never been exclusively close but she was Percy's girlfriend and they had been quest-mates. He cared for her.

Annabeth just shook her head and her shoulders started jerking violently as more tears came pouring out of her eyes.  
"What's-" Jason started to say but he was abruptly cut off by Annabeth letting out an anguished scream.

"It's Percy," she exclaimed, choking on her tears. "Percy's gone."

Whispers and gasps echoed throughout the arena at the blonde's words and Jason had a hard time processing what she had just said.

Percy was attending his Senior year of High School in New York whereas Annabeth was working on Olympus. They were seeing each other every  
other day. Percy even came to camp once in awhile, dropping by to say hi and/or giving some sword-fighting lessons when he wasn't drowning in essays and assignments.

The last time Jason had seen him had been barely a month ago. He and Annabeth had stayed a week at camp over winter break before setting back to New York in a hurry to go back to more impending matters like exam preparations and redesigning some god's palace.

"Annabeth," Jason reached for the daughter of Athena but she swatted his hands away and ran out of the arena and away from the burning stares and growing whispers of the campers.

The son of Jupiter was left standing there as chaos erupted around  
him. He was still having a hard time coping with what had just happened.

It's the 10 year old boy who couldn't manage to put on his armor properly that shook him out of his stupor. "By Percy does she mean the Percy?"

Jason turned to gape at the kid. The kid himself gaped back in awe, brown eyes wide in disbelief and crooked armor hanging off his little bony body.

The kid continued,"As in Percy Jackson?" Something twisted in Jason's gut at the sound of his name. His heart beat erratically in his chest as he slowly looked away from the kid and settled his eyes on the rest of the arena.

People were all talking animatedly and in frantic and hushed tones. He's pretty sure he even spotted one girl crying.

Jason's head spun. The kid beside him was still bombarding him with questions. _Is he alive? Can I meet him? I can't believe he's gone. Were you there when he found the golden fleece? Does he like dogs?_

So maybe the boy hadn't asked that last question but Jason wasn't really focused on that right now. His mind was reeling, a thousand questions of his own were jumping around in his brain.

Jason effectively shut the rambling kid up with a quick wave of his hand and a promise to answer his impending questions later. And before the kid could stutter out his thanks, Jason was off, running out of the arena himself with his heart pounding and his vision burning.

 _(A/N) I await feedback eagerly :)_


	3. Who? Where? What? Why?

**_Disclaimer: all rights reserved to Rick Riordan_**

 ** _(A/N) Sorry for the wait, writers block haha :) Expect chapter 4 soon, it's all written out, we're just proof reading it ! Thanks for all the support, it's really nice receiving notifications saying i have a new follower, and have a wonderful summer !_**

Chapter III

Percy had been unceremoniously shoved into a kneeling position as soon as they entered the room.

He landed on his knees with a thud and pain shot up his thighs at the brutal contact with the wood floor. He was still slightly dazed after having been dragged out of the previous room.

His escort, the burly woman, grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head back till he was looking at the single naked bulb on the yellowing ceiling.

Percy felt light headed and his face was numb, the blood had started to dry on his cheeks and he was feeling the after effects of the deep cuts residing there.

For a while, nothing happened. The son of Poseidon kneeled unmoving with his neck exposed and his head twisted upwards. Percy wondered what the point of him being brought out over to this room was. He wondered if he would see Luke again. A knot formed in his stomach at the thought.

Percy gulped audibly and shifted uncomfortably on his knees. He was kind of anxious to meet the son of Hermes again. Percy didn't know how to act around him. He had once been his friend and the sudden turn of events really made him question how he was supposed to consider the older demigod.

The sound of a door opening and closing startled him and he squirmed in place. Heavy footsteps sounded in the room followed by the low scrape of a chair being pulled across wooden flooring.

Percy held his breath as the grip in his hair tightened. He could hear the newcomer's even breathing add to the eerie silence of the room. For some reason, that was the only thing he could focus on. He didn't know if it was because the new person was a loud breather or if he had somehow muted everything else around him.

Suddenly, the hold on his hair let go and his head dropped forward.

Percy didn't look up but instead kept his gaze trained on his hands poised on his bare knees. His hair fell around his face in rivulets and onto his brow, keeping him from seeing anything other than what was directly straight ahead of him. In this case, that meant his hands and knees. It also stopped him from seeing the newcomer. Percy had a sinking feeling as to who the newly added third person might be and he wasn't too keen on having to chitchat with them, let alone see them.

He heard some shuffling behind him where the large muscular woman was standing but nothing happened. Percy kind of wished she would kick him or something: the agonizing silence was almost enough for him to want to laugh or pass gas in order to end it.

"Look at me," a voice that Percy recognized instantly said suddenly.

Percy's heart swelled in his chest and he bit his lip as he forced himself to keep his eyes on his hands. He wouldn't give Luke the satisfaction of obeying.

"Percy, I know you can hear me," the son of Hermes continued, Percy's grip on his knees tightened and he watched intently as his knuckles turned white, "Look at me."

A couple seconds passed before his head was pulled upwards by his hair again. This time however, Percy found himself face to face with the blonde son of Hermes rather than the ceiling.

The first thing he noticed when he was pulled up to meet Luke's stare was his signature smirk. The sight of it made Percy's eyes narrow and his grip on his knees tighten. He did not miss that annoying smirk. He even kind of wanted to wipe it off the older demigod's irritatingly handsome face.

"Why the sour face, Perce?" Luke fake-pouted, "Aren't you happy to see me," he asked, clutching his heart in fake offense.

Percy refrained from making a sarcastic answer and settled on squaring his jaw and glaring at Luke.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Luke chuckled and before Percy knew what he was doing, leaned forward in his chair so that he was inches away from Percy's face.

Percy's breath involuntarily hitched and he became oddly still as he watched up close as Luke's face contorted into a wicked smile.

Percy was torn between wanting to spit in his face and turning bright red.

"You know, Perce," Luke paused, he was so close that Percy could practically feel his breath on his face, "I don't bite."

Those words were the last straw off the camel's back. He couldn't keep still or quiet anymore, especially not with Luke teasing him and acting as if he hadn't just come back to life, turned evil again and kidnapped him.

Eyes narrowing further, the son of Poseidon gritted his teeth. "Fuck off."

The smile on Luke's face instantly dropped and he leaned back in his chair, finally leaving Percy some space to breathe and think straight.

"Leave us," he ordered the lady holding Percy's head up.

The grip on his hair relented once again but this time Percy kept his head up and stared off at the son of Hermes in defiance. He wasn't afraid of him.

Even if the telltale sound of the woman leaving the room and shutting the door loudly behind left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and pricks in his heavy-setted heart. He was not afraid.

Luke didn't scare him. Percy had fought him off before, why would this be any different?

Luke leaned back further into the chair he had brought forward and examined the still kneeling son of Poseidon. The look on his face was wistful and Percy briefly wondered if he was okay because he had been staring at him for more than what was considered normal.

When nothing happened after a few more minutes and Luke was still staring at him, Percy felt it safe enough to finally say something. "Take a picture, it lasts longer."

The response was immediate. Luke snapped his eyes upwards to meet his and another smirk spread across his features. "Or I could, you know…" the son of Hermes paused and his smirk grew, "kidnap you so that I can stare at you forever."

Percy's eyes narrowed again at the words and watched bemusedly as Luke burst out in laughter at them.

"Hilarious," Percy deadpanned.

When the son of Hermes calmed down from his sudden laughing fit, Percy deemed it safe enough (well as safe as asking a risqué question to your enemy is) to try and pry any sort of information out of him.

"You didn't seriously kidnap me for that reason?" Percy joked half-heartedly, adding a little laugh at the end to lighten the mood and make things come off as nonchalant. Yet again, as nonchalant as joking around with your enemy about your current abducted situation can get.

"And what if I did, Percy?" Luke said, leaning in again but this time not too far as to be inches away from his face. "I mean, who wouldn't want to keep a beautiful specimen like you all for themselves," Luke flashed a blinding smile at Percy and winked.

Percy felt his face heat up and his heart skip a beat. "You're really fucking sick, Luke. Just tell me why you kidnapped me," he spluttered out after a couple seconds of gaping.

Luke fake-pouted again and propped his head up with his fist to look down at the blushing son of Poseidon. "Oh but where is the fun in that, Perce?"

Percy let out an exasperated sound and shifted in his position so that he could finally push up and stand up and out of his kneeling position.

But barely had he stood straight that he was pushed back on the floor and onto his ass by the son of Hermes.

Luke towered over him and stood with both legs on either side of him. Percy had to crane his neck to make eye contact with him.

"In all due time, Percy. You are the key to my success and to the end of the gods," Luke reached out to Percy's face and hesitated barely an inch over his skin before poking his cheek.

Percy let out a hiss as the elder demigod stabbed his wound with his finger. He had completely forgotten about it.

"Who did this?" Luke asked, voice unusually low. His eyes looked glassy and he himself looked ticked off. If Luke hadn't been so close to him, he would have probably not noticed the last factor but to say that this confused Percy was an understatement.

"The boy that woke me up," Percy said, shrugging as if having his face clawed out was no big deal. It shouldn't have been a big deal to Luke but it looked it had shaken him to the core.

"The boy?" Luke asked, brows furrowing and gaze clearing. He stood above Percy a couple seconds longer in daze before stepping back quickly as if he had only just noticed how close he was.

"Yes, the boy that woke me up," Percy confirmed, sitting back and awkwardly looking up and towards Luke that had sat back on the chair.

When Luke didn't seem to understand who he was talking about, Percy cleared his throat and shook his right hand in a form of hesitation as he said the next words: "Boy. Girl. Kind of looked like both."

Luke's face cleared instantly and he smiled at the son of Poseidon's w ords endearingly as if the fact that Percy couldn't distinguish the two in this case was cute or funny. Like the way you look at your dog when he tries to chase after his own tail.

Percy hated that look. Annabeth looked at him that way a lot and it made him feel dumb.

"Ah," Luke drawled out the syllable as he smiled down at the frowning demigod, "You mean Mark."

"Mark," Percy repeated dumbly before sighing, "well whatever his name is, I don't like him."

"Their, them," Luke said, smile widening.

"Pardon?" Percy didn't know what he was talking about. Their what? Them? What was Luke going on about now?

Luke shook his head, and waved his hand dismissively. "Nevermind."

Percy raised an inquisitive brow and decided to let it go even if he was thoroughly confused. Luke always seemed to be bent on keeping him in the absolute dark.

"Well I have to go now," Luke announced and stood, looking down at the son of Poseidon. He bowed half-heartedly and started to make his way around Percy and towards the door.

Percy was left gaping and yet again confused. "Wait what?"

He gripped Luke's shin in an attempt to stop him, that particular limb being the only one available seeing as he was still seated on the wooden planks of the floor.

"Why did you bring me here for then? Just to pop up and say hi?" Percy glared up at the son of Hermes and hit his captured shin for emphasis. "I was sleeping, you know. If you kidnap me you could at least have the decency of letting me rest."

Luke cracked a grin and crossed his arms over his chest.

Percy gave his shin another hit, a little harder this time. He was fully aware that he was acting like a child. A vague memory of his little baby sister and himself in a similar position but with switched roles popped up in his head.

"Percy, let go of my leg," Luke sighed but he didn't even try to free himself.

"No."

A few seconds passed and then Luke let out an exasperated sound. He tried to shake his leg out of Percy's grip but to no avail.

"I'm not supposed to see you," Luke finally said.

Percy blinked up at him in skepticism. "Then why the fuck did you come see me?"

Luke ignored him and finally pried his leg out of the sea god's son's grip. "It isn't part of the plan," he stated.

"The plan," Percy repeated, his brows furrowed. "So you didn't just kidnap me to stare at my face."

Luke rolled his eyes, then closed them and ran a hand through his hair. He looked troubled. "Look Percy I really need to go now," he said and hesitated before glancing at the door anxiously and adding under his breath, "he's going to kill me."

Percy opened his mouth to say something, maybe comment on Luke's slip up, but before he could Luke had reached the door and disappeared.

The burly woman of before came in seconds later and commanded, "Up."

Percy obliged and the woman grabbed his bicep and pushed him out of the room.

This time however, when Percy was being dragged around, he was fully conscious and awake. Every turn was another set of memorized doors and even if the hallways were mostly vacant, an occasional door was open and the brief view of worn furniture and unfamiliar faces was enough to make Percy sure of one thing. He would be totally lost in this maze of a building.

The interior of whatever building he was in seemed to be quite old. With high beige-bordering-on-yellow ornate ceilings and cracked walls. The flooring, in comparison to the wood in the previous room, was carpet. The carpet was the color between brown and beige and covered the entirety of the long hallway.

Another detail Percy internally noted was the lack of windows. He found this to be truly inconvenient seeing as it disabled any easy escape. He also hadn't distinguished any exits, unless one of the many closed doors were one. Then he'd have to risk walking in on people that may or may not be aware of his prisoner status.

The whole escapade thing seemed highly implausible and Percy really didn't want to risk anything. He knew Luke and whoever "he" was needed him alive for whatever "plan" they seemed to had. But yet again, Percy didn't even explicitly know that so there really was no risking anything.

When the big woman stopped, it was to shut him back up in the room he had woken up in. She cast one last brooding look his way and grumbled incomprehensibly under her breath before closing and locking the door behind her.

The room was as boring and empty as he remembered it and the bed just as comfortable.

Without a second's hesitation, the son of Poseidon lay onto the bed and closed his eyes. His eyelids were heavy with exhaustion and even if he had no clue as to where he was and if he ever was going to see his friends and family again, he could at least relax a bit. The door was locked anyways so if there really was someone that needed to come fetch him and torture him or something, the sound of the door unlocking would hopefully alert him in time to send some last prayers to whichever god was listening.

But as for now, Percy thought as he let the muscles in his body unwind, I can sleep a little.

 ** _(A/N) Feel free to PM me and drop in some ideas or requests ! Bye !_**


	4. Hello, gods? Answer! Hello!

**_Disclaimer: all rights reserved to Uncle Rick._**

 ** _(A/N) Oh! What's this? A double update?! Have I gone mad?_**

 ** _Nope, no worries. I am still compltely sane (although sometimes my work isn't). Sorry again for the long ass wait (my little sis Alx whispers 4 months). I don't guarantee that this will be a habitual thing. Please bear with me, I'm a slow writer. Yes, just as slow as the build in this story will be._**

 ** _And P.S. this is the first time I write an (A/N) : it's usually Alx that writes them for me._**

 ** _-Bé_**

 **Chapter IV**

 _Annabeth PoV_

Annabeth reached down to pull her second sock up and over her knee. She adjusted the skirt on her waist and tugged at her dress shirt before slipping on her sneakers and grabbing the handle of her bag. She hoisted the light item up and over her left shoulder as she crossed the dozen feet of space that led to the cabin's door.

Her hair was a mess, half of it was still in a bun from when she had tied her hair before sleeping, and the other half in her face.

The past day had been hectic, Annabeth had purposely made a dramatic appearance at the arena and had thrown the whole of camp in a frenzy.

Her mother had called her, voice a bit strained and she had received one of the shortest lectures to date with a curt "goodbye" at the end to finish things, effectively shutting her out and ignoring her impending questions on her boyfriend's location.

Annabeth was frustrated. Her idiot of a boyfriend had gone missing again and she could barely even sleep let alone think straight.

Outside the Athena cabin, the camp was still and calm. The sky was still somewhat dark but the start of the day was evident with the peak of the sun behind the Apollo cabin and the light chirp of birds somewhere off to her left.

Annabeth made her way across the field and past the campfire. Hestia was still there, tending meticulously to the little fire at the heart of the pit. She looked as small as an eight year old, her brown dress reaching just under her thighs and her hair dark with the ashes and soot of the fire.

The daughter of Athena nodded quietly in acknowledgment as she passed the goddess and the only sign of recognition from the girl was the sudden cackling of the fire.

When Annabeth reached the Big House and hurried up the creaking wooden stairs, she slipped into the large building and was met with the expected sight of Chiron. The elder was currently in his disguise, the wheelchair hiding the legs and hooves of his true form.

Annabeth greeted him silently and put down her bag. The soft thud of the backpack hitting the floor was accompanied by the door opposite the one she just came in through, opening.

Leo Valdez walked into the room, his girlfriend Calypso in tow.

"Goodmorning Annabeth," Leo said, he advanced to come stand by Chiron.

"Goodmorning Leo," a pause as she switched her gaze from the son of Hephaestus to his girlfriend, "Calypso," she nodded.

"Jason should be here any minute," Chiron spoke up. He slowly wheeled himself to the window by the front door. "In fact here he is right now."

Annabeth leaned in to look out the window over the centaur's head and sure enough, the blonde son of Jupiter was walking to where they were.

"I have a question."

Chiron sighed audibly and turned to the boy behind him, "Yes, Leo?"

"Why can't we just send an Iris-Message to our parents? And are we sure going up there to see them will change anything?" Leo asked. He put a hand on his hip and gestured manically to make his point.

Annabeth readied herself to answer. She opened her mouth and started: "As I've-"

Before she could get another word out, the son of Jupiter made his entry. The door swung open and the young man entered.

He took one glance at the people in the room and set his own bag down. He then walked the short distance to his shorter male friend and engulfed him in a tight hug. "Yo man, long time no see. How was your trip?"

Leo chuckled and returned the hug. "It was great. I showed Calypso around good ol' America. I've actually been in New York for a while now."

Jason let him go to give him an incredulous stare. "No way Leo, why didn't you drop by or IM me?"

Leo let out another chuckle, this one, Annabeth noticed, sounded odd. She realized in fact that it sounded _nervous_.

"Just visiting, my man. A little bit of business too. You know, the works," Leo said and released another nervous chuckle.

She raised a brow at that, "What sort of business could you be possibly doing?"

Leo set his gaze on her and she watched as he hesitated momentarily before cracking a lopsided grin and _chuckling_ again. "Some jobs here and there at various places. Workshops mostly."

Before she could comment again, Jason interrupted her by enveloping her in a huge hug.

Annabeth was confused and she stumbled back a bit at the sudden contact. Jason quickly let her go and smiled gently at her. "You better since…?" He let the question trail off.

She held his gaze for a couple seconds before averting it to the ground and clearing her throat. "I won't be better until we find Percy," she gave Leo a pointed look, "and to answer your former questions, Leo, I had briefly talked to my mother yesterday and alerted her of the situation but she blew me off. At first I though she hadn't heard me but I am quite certain that she avoided my worries entirely."

"Why would she do that? She knows of Perseus and how important he is to the camps," Calypso piped in. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"That's a question I myself don't know the answer to. It is also the reason the four of us will be going to New York and asking the gods personally. They don't seem to be even answering IMs anymore," Annabeth looked at Leo, "Hence the need to go and quite literally shake answers out of them if needed."

"If they even have any," Chiron muttered. He wheeled his way to Annabeth's side and took ahold of her hands.

Annabeth looked down at him.

"Annabeth dear, I know that what you are going through is hard," he lightly squeezed her hands before continuing, "It's hard on all of us. But I do not want you to pin this on the gods if you do not get what you want. They are listening and they do not wish wrong for us. I am giving you my accord to go and see them but do not turn bitter if they blow you off."

Annabeth's eyes bulged out of her face at Chiron's words. Her hands shook violently in his grasp and she struggled to pull them out. "They have to know something. Percy couldn't have just disappeared without a trace and for no reason," she hissed, finally wrenching her hands out of the centaur's hands and storming to her bag, grabbing it, and leaving the Big House.

Knowing nobody was going to follow her out, she unsteadily sat herself down on the steps leading to the porch of the building.

Her mind was reeling and her face felt hot. She couldn't believe Chiron didn't see things the way she did.

The gods had to help her. Percy was missing! It wasn't the first time and the first time had been Hera's fault. She had a right to know what the gods were planning to do next. She had a right to know that Percy was safe. And she had a right to know that whatever was brewing was coming.

She was mad and exhausted. The tedious schedule she had been living with for the past year had really worked her thin. She couldn't take it anymore. Percy missing was the last straw. She was about ready to snap.

Annabeth dug her nails into the flesh of her thighs. Her bag lay a couple steps down from her and her head was spinning.

It was only when the door to the Big House opened minutes later and the rest of the people exited onto the porch that she let her thighs go. The angry welts on her legs were bound to raise questions but luckily she could hide them for now with her skirt and hope no wind would betray her.

She didn't want to look weak. She was already considered the most vulnerable one being Percy's girlfriend and being known for having lost her shit the last time the son of Poseidon had disappeared on her. She didn't need the others worrying about her wellbeing because she had needed to relieve her anger in some form of pain.

She quickly stood up and continued down the stairs, reaching down for her bag and swinging it onto her back.

"Annabeth!" Jason's voice called behind her.

The daughter of Athena slowly turned on her heel to look up at her friend that was still on the porch. Leo, Calypso and he were the only ones out, Chiron nowhere in sight. She realized dully that he must have stayed inside.

Annabeth didn't say anything back to Jason. She waited for him to catch up with her on the stairs and to talk for himself.

"Annabeth," he repeated. She side-eyed him as she made her way down the last couple steps.

He hurried to reach her pace. "Annabeth," he repeated a third time, "You know how Chiron meant what he said. He doesn't wish to discourage you. He is only raising your awareness to a possible letdown."

Annabeth ignored his words and started to walk across camp, passing first by the cabins again.

Jason didn't relent. "Annabeth, you can't possibly expect the gods to just reveal whatever is going on." Jason sighed, "they're the gods. They don't owe us any explanations. I'm not saying I am not worried about Percy's disappearance and that I one hundred percent trust in the gods and their words but they wouldn't let anything bad happen to Percy. He's the saviour of Olympus."

Annabeth stopped in her tracks. They had just breached the circle that constructed all the cabins around the hearth. The Apollo cabin was to their right, standing bright and majestic in the rising sun.

"They do owe us explanations! We've been risking our asses our whole lives for them, for Olympus," she yelled. The distant thunder signifying Zeus's discontent only fueled her anger. " We deserve to be told about whatever the fuck is going on! I am tired of being a pawn!"

Thunder could be heard again and Annabeth was so mad she could just spit. All she wanted right now was answers and to know that Percy was alright.

Jason blinked gapingly at her but before he could open his scarred mouth, Annabeth had already started walking again. She dashed across the circle of cabins, paying no mind to the newly awoken campers and their burning stares.

 _Jason PoV_

To say Annabeth was in a pissy mood was an understatement. The daughter of Athena looked like she was about ready to start spewing fire from her eyes, nose, mouth and ears, maybe even burn the whole camp to ashes.

Jason was mad too. Percy was… well, Percy was Percy.

The son of Poseidon had turned out to be his closest friend. If just that. Which is surprising, taking into consideration the big rivalry between their two fathers.

As he, Leo, Calypso and Annabeth were all seated in the camp's special-occasion car, Jason took the time to really examine his fellow friends.

Annabeth was seated in the driver's seat beside him. Leo and Calypso were both at the back, bickering lightly and looking out the window from time to time.

They seemed happy, maybe a little worn out from all the travelling and the current situation, but nevertheless happy.

He was glad that Leo had fallen on Calypso's island. Content that his friend had managed to find love and happiness at such a chaotic time.

Jason remembered how Percy himself had fallen on Calypso's island. The idea made him somewhat uneasy. He didn't know how he felt about the daughter of Atlas. Sure, he was happy with her being with his certain curly-haired friend. But Percy and Calypso together was hard to process. He didn't like it.

Calypso herself was really pretty. In an ancient kind of way. Her body wasn't stick thin like most models that were pictured everywhere in the media these days. She had an angular face and upturned cheekbones. Hey eyes were slitted into almonds and glinted almost gold in the sun. An overall appealing face. Jason understood why heroes like Ulysses and even Percy had fallen under her spell.

Yet again, the thought of Percy and Calypso made his stomach twist in distaste. Jason couldn't comprehend where the sudden apprehension was coming from. Percy was his friend. Calypso was a wonderful girl.

It wasn't like Percy still harbored feelings for the brunette. Percy had a girlfriend.

Jason's eyes left the rearview mirror to glance at the blonde to his left.

The daughter of Athena had her brows drawn into a frown. Her small lips were pinched into a permanent pout and her hair was, to put it nicely, unbrushed.

The usual determined and superior aura that surrounded her was faded and the only thing that seemed to come to Jason's mind when he looked at her was fragility.

Under the brooding frown and the mountain of golden curls, her soul was shattered. Her light grey eyes were glassy and empty. One could practically see themselves in the reflection of the iced and vacant eyes of the blonde girl.

Jason cared for Annabeth. They had found similarities amongst themselves and appreciated each other's presence. They may not have been the closest comrades of the seven but Jason and Annabeth were on friendly terms.

He also thought that she was great for Percy. Even if the subject was particularly touchy with where his current feelings for the son of Poseidon were standing.

Jason liked Percy. As in a more than friends type of way. Unfortunately for him, it was quite obvious that the raven-haired boy didn't reciprocate the feelings. Which should have been expected. Percy and Annabeth were the golden couple of both camps. Their strong and we've-literally-been-through-hell-together bond was invincible.

To top things off, Jason was pretty sure Percy didn't even like boys. The whole shebang with the son of Hades had been enough proof of that.

The son of Jupiter himself didn't think that he could've found boys as attractive as he found Piper. But he guessed that his green-eyed cousin was an exception.

But unlike Calypso, Jason didn't resent Annabeth. He did sometimes find himself glaring at said girl when she got overly close to Percy in public but it couldn't be helped and Jason understood what she meant to him.

He did not know when exactly he had started growing feelings for his friend. It all sort of hit him one day.

He'd immediately told his girlfriend Piper and she'd surprisingly rolled her eyes at him and informed him that she was already aware of his attraction to the son of Poseidon. She had kissed his forehead and cradled his head in her hands as he had wept and blubbered out apologies.

They didn't breakup. Jason and Piper were still going strong. Although he did sometimes worry she would turn on him and get mad at him for the feelings he couldn't control.

Jason and Piper mostly kept in a relationship for the sake of image. Just like Annabeth and Percy, their relationship was public. Another power couple the two camps could lean on and look up to.

It also helped the two of them cope on a daily basis. Having someone there for you, ready to take you in their arms and cuddle your worries away was a huge plus. A huge plus that both he and Piper had benefited from.

He was really thankful for the daughter of Aphrodite. She had always been there for him. No matter where his feelings lay and who he decided to spend the rest of his life with, she would always mean a lot to him.

In complete truth, their relationship was built off a lie. Both she and Jason were aware of this fact and when it should weaken the link between the two, it only securises their relationship. However farfetched and odd this may seem, Jason and Piper believed that even if the base of their relationship wasn't honest they had worked it out anyways and that proved something.

Of course, their relationship would never be like Annabeth and Percy's. But it was hard to reach that level of dependence and strength in a couple. For their young age, a mere 17 years old, they had been through much more than any other old couple. Going through the literal equivalence of Hell with someone will do that to a relationship.

When Jason looked at Annabeth now, he couldn't imagine what she had been through with Percy down there. What they had encountered and what they had to do to be here today: alive and sane.

The thought of the fiery pits of the Underworld were enough to make him shudder. The state his two friends had been when they finally escaped the place had been tremendous and horrifying. Their clothes had been in tatters and their hair had coiled around their faces in greasy tendrils, dried and fresh blood had been smeared across their skin. Jason didn't think they themselves even knew if the blood was theirs or not.

To put it simply, they had looked dead.

The three or so months that followed the time in Tartarus had been scary for them. Nightmares plagued them during the night and flashbacks during the day. They were living in constant fear of the memory of the place. If you so much as uttered the name of it, they would grow silent and zone out for the longest time. You could only imagine what was going through their heads, what images were resurfacing.

They were better now.

At least Jason thought so. They didn't wince at the name of the place anymore and the daily nightmares had practically receded to a monthly thing. The experience would never leave them but at least it didn't handicap them to complete inactiveness and they seemed to have been doing fine. As long as they still laughed and smiled and were able to live on with their lives, Jason didn't think any drastic measures were to be taken.

Just the thought of some useless therapist prodding at their fragile minds was enough to make him irritated. Even worse, any help from the gods would be highly ironic seeing as it's all their fault that they were there in the first place.

Jason wasn't on such good terms with the gods right now. At least in his head he wasn't. His father barely talked to him and didn't seem to care for him at all. The last time he had seen him had been at the end of the war at the congratulatory ceremony on Mount Olympus. His father had nodded at him in acknowledgement and that had been it. Jason felt cheated on and used. He had been working and training his whole life to impress his father, show him that he was worthy of being his son and worthy of being Praetor of New Rome. For a nod? A miserable nod that lasted a second?

They were constantly dragging their children into wars and danger. Demigods' lives were at risk for the simple fact that they were their children. The least they could do is communicate with them. They have all of eternity to live, the excuse of them being busy is crap because they have an unlimited amount of time and they could surely make space in their never-ending lives for their offsprings.

"Jason," Leo said softly. He leaned forward till his head protruded from between the gap of the driver and passenger seats. "You're gritting your teeth and I can hear it from back here," he continued and reached up to pat his shoulder. Raising an inquisitive brow, Leo tilted his head and said: "What's the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter, it's just a tick, Leo. You're always nosing into my business," he answered, raising his own brow to challenge him. Leo raised his second brow to match the latter one and his face morphed into one of surprise.

"Woah chill, big boy. You're in a snippy mood," Leo exclaimed lightly, removing his hand from Jason's shoulder to lift his hands up into a defensive posture, palms spread out and facing his friend.

"What are you talking about, Leo. I'm fine," Jason leaned back so that half of his back was pressed against the door of the car. He crossed his arms over his chest and his brows knitted together.

"I'm just saying you're acting strange and look like…" Leo trailed off, "You look like…"

"Look like what?" the son of Jupiter quipped in a sneer. He was really getting tired of Leo. Just appearing out of the blue, giving a half-assed excuse as to why he didn't come visit over the last 8 months, and minding other people's business.

Maybe he was exaggerating a bit, overreacting and taking his anger out on Leo. Jason would admit that he was in a snippy mood but he didn't think Leo deserved the satisfaction of that truth.

"You just look-" Leo started again.

"You look like someone just force fed you a baby's used diaper," Annabeth deadpanned, cutting in to complete Leo's sentence. She was looking straight ahead at the road and her face was completely void of any emotion.

Jason burst into laughter, effectively startling the others. "You're one to talk," he spat, shaking his head in incredulity and laughing some more. His chest expanded with the force of his laughter and he felt like he was about ready to open the car door and roll out onto the highway if the situation got anymore ironic.

Annabeth's jaw clenched and she side-eyed him for a beat or two before exhaling out of her nose and bringing her gaze back onto the road. "Leave him alone, Leo," she said.

Leo's head snapped to her, eyes wide. "Alright, I'm sorry. Jeez," Leo sat back into his seat and shrugged nonchalantly. After a couple seconds, he continued, "I was just trying to start a conversation. With how you two are acting, you'd think someone was dead."

"Leo, please," Calypso's voice appeared. In the rearview mirror, Jason watched as she reached to intertwine her fingers with Leo's. Leo looked down for a second before smiling at their linked hands.

Calypso's eyes flitted upwards to meet Jason's and he quickly looked away. He took a sudden interest in his shoes and set his mind on other things. He wasn't going to let himself feel guilty about Leo.

"We'll be in New York in fifteen minutes," Annabeth said after a double dozen minutes of silence.

The car had quieted down after the short fight and Jason was glad that they would soon be out of the car. He was looking forward to stretching his legs and getting some fresh air. Not so much looking forward to confronting the gods and his father about a subject he knew would irk them. The probability of the higher beings they considered parents actually listening to them and giving them clear and direct answer was so little that Jason didn't even see why they bothered to drive all the way out to try. There was also the possibility that the gods really had no clue as to what was going on and why Percy was suddenly kidnapped. But Jason didn't want to think of that. He really did not know what he would do if that turned out to be the case.

By the time they reached the outskirts of New York, Jason had already fallen asleep twice, counted 23 black cars and 31 grey cars, recited the entire national anthem to himself four times, and picked at a rip in his jean enough to make a hole the size of his thumb.

The sight of the tall glass skyscrapers reflecting the bright morning sun was enough to always amaze Jason. New York truly was a beautiful city. Always bustling with activity, it always seemed to be full of life.

Between the pillars of concrete that loomed over the city, stood the Empire State Building. Even with how far they were from it, it looked so big and majestic. In all its 1500 or so feet of glory, it towered amongst the rest of the highrise buildings, the morning sun basking it in blazing light so that it shone like a sort of beacon.

Annabeth was quick to maneuver around the city and she knew just where not to go to get stuck in traffic. Her eyes were glinting with impatience at every red light, her hand was tapping the steering wheel to a silent rhythm and she even started muttering out profanities.

Jason was impatient too. The car trip had been torture for his poor demigod person and he knew that Leo and Annabeth felt the same. He wasn't necessarily looking forward to the whole meeting awaiting them but he really needed to have answers. Anything was better than nothing. Even if it was something that wouldn't please them, it would always be better than staying in the dark, unbeknownst to what was actually happening.

As they started to approach the streets nearing the Empire State Building, Jason was so anxious that his stomach had started to protest. Or maybe it wasn't the nerves but the fact that he hadn't eaten anything since last night at dinner. Whatever the case, his stomach was raging and clenching painfully.

They spent a good ten minutes searching for a parking spot before deciding that they could really care less where the car was left. Annabeth tried to parallel park in the smallest spot Jason had ever seen and the result was quite worrying, what with the proximity of the two cars surrounding them. If Annabeth so much as moved a little to the back or a little to the front, the car would ram into the other cars.

Huffing in annoyance when she saw the sign signalling that the spot was a private one, Annabeth cursed a bit and declared that they could just tow the car if they wanted because she was not going to move it. Calypso sighed and told Annabeth that that wouldn't happen with a bit of Mist magic. The daughter of Atlas then proceeded to manipulate the Mist and the case was closed.

Now they were a few blocks away from the Empire State Building. All they had left to do was push past the huge crowd of tourists and business people to reach the entry and demand access to the 600th floor. Yeah, the plan wasn't the easiest and the most thought-out one they'd ever had to follow but most definitely not the hardest.

When the building came into view, the pain in Jason's stomach increased tenfold. Crossing the street to get to the entry was another intensified pain in his abdomen.

Turning to Annabeth, the son of Jupiter tentatively asked her, "Do you think they'll accept to see us?"

Annabeth shrugged in answer.

"I damn hope so because I fucking hate to travel and my butt hurts from sitting down so long," Leo muttered grumpily. To emphasize his point, he rubbed at his butt cheek and scrunched up his face in fake pain.

"I think it really depends on how drastic the situation is," Calypso added, her hair was billowing behind her and she looked serene and abnormally calm.

"So if it's as bad as we think it is, then that's good because they'll definitely let us see them," Jason concluded, nodding to show he agreed.

"No," Calypso shook her head, "I'm afraid that if it's as bad as we think it is, they'll reject us," she corrected.

"But why would-" Leo started to ask, but Annabeth who had been a couple feet in front stopped and turned to them.

"If they don't let us in, I have a plan B," she said.

Dropping her bag to her feet, she bent down to rummage through it for a couple seconds before bringing back out a key.

She waited in silence as the rest of them assessed the object and when no one seemed to connect the two she sighed. "I work on Mount Olympus. I have a key to the elevator." Leo made an "oh" sound and the blonde daughter of Athena continued, "We'll try to go up by asking the man up front, his name is Larry. If he refuses, we'll need to distract him and go up by our own terms," she waved her key at that and Leo made another "oh" sound, "You with me?"

They all nodded and Annabeth smiled. Jason realized it was the first smile he had seen her crack since he had seen her yesterday.

"Alright then, let's go," Jason exclaimed.

He and the other three finally made their way to the building and entered the air conditioned lobby.

As expected, there was a line to the front desk. After all, the Empire State Building was a national monument that attracted millions of tourists every year. Today was no exception and just like the rest of the people there, they had to wait. Again. Jason was so sick of waiting and the gut-wrenching feeling at the pit of his stomach had not receded.

When they finally reached the front desk, the man - Larry, Jason supposed - was typing away at a computer. Without looking up, he asked in a bored tone: "How many?"

"Four?" Jason answered back with a question of his own. Did he have to ask for the key or…?

"Above 18?" Larry asked. He still hadn't looked up.

Jason opened his mouth and stuttered a bit before Annabeth stepped forwards to lean over the desk. "Larry, we need the key to the 600th floor."

The guy, Larry, paused in his typing before slowly looking up and into the intimidating daughter of Athena's grey eyes. His lips stretched into a strained smile. "Oh, Annabeth," he laughed nervously and reached up to rub at the back of his neck. "Um…" he trailed off, looking off to his right where the security guards were standing in their black attire, big arms crossed over their large chests.

"Larry," Annabeth said, voice sickly sweet, "the key."

"Yes, yes…" Larry's smile stretched wider and the smile looked more like a grimace now that anything. "You see… the gods," he gulped when Annabeth tilted her head to the left, "...they aren't accepting any visitors at the moment."

Annabeth raise an immaculate blonde brow. "It's for work. I need to finish a design for Hera's temple and I forgot some blueprints in my office. I just need to go recuperate them real fast," she explained.

Larry looked unconvinced. His eyes traveled from Annabeth to Jason and the others behind her. "With them?"

"Yes," Annabeth answered. "Is that a problem?"

A pregnant pause followed and Jason watched as the man hesitated, before chuckling. "Well… a little bit, yes. I'm afraid if you are to go up there, they can't accompany you. The gods have explicitly said that they couldn't see anybody today."

"But we're not here to see the gods," Jason lied. He wanted the Larry guy to just shut up and give them the key.

"Yeah, we're here with Annabeth," Calypso said.

"We just need to help her find her stuff for the new Hermes fountain fountain she's designing,' Leo added, nodding eagerly.

Larry frowned at Leo's words. He mouthed something silently before his eyes widened. "But Annabeth said she was working on Hera's temple," he said, looking pointedly at Leo. "Not a Hermes fountain."

Annabeth's eyes hardened as she turned to glare at Leo for a brief second before looking back at Larry. "He meant the Hera temple."

"Yeah? I meant the Hera temple," the curly-haired boy agreed, flashing a bright smile and giggling sillily. "Stupid me."

Larry's gaze snapped between Annabeth and Leo several times. "No," he finally said, "I'm sorry. I can't give you the key."

Annabeth let out an exasperated sound and slammed her hand against the desk. While doing so, her bag fell off her shoulder and hit the ground. "But I really need those blueprints!"

Her foot pushed the bag backwards and to Jason. Jason bent down and looked through it. He reached his hand inside the bag and felt for the key.

Meanwhile, Larry had sat bolt right up in his chair at the daughter of Athena's tone of voice. "Annabeth quieten down, please. Or I'll have to get you and your friends escorted outside."

Jason finally came into contact with the key and dragged it out of the bag. He nudged Annabeth's foot to flag her of his completed mission.

"Fine," Annabeth yelled, slamming her hand against the desk again.

Larry looked relieved and smiled at her. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, they're not my orders," he said, looking up at the ceiling to state the obvious.

"Could you at least let me use the restroom?" Annabeth asked, slamming her hand against the surface of the desk again.

Larry hesitated before shrugging and pointing at a door at the back, near the elevator. "Right there. The entry code is 6674. Please flush and pull down the toilet lid after use," he instructed and smiled, waving his hand, as she and the rest of them started towards the bathroom and elevator.

Annabeth smiled back kindly. She waited until the elevator opened and people spilled out before locking eyes with Jason. "Now," she hissed.

As ordered, they all dashed for the elevator and Jason rammed the key into the slot under the floor numbers. The red flap fell open and he punched the button for the 600th floor.

"Hey!" Larry exclaimed, standing up from his desk and gaining the attention of the guards. "You guys can't-" but before they could hear the rest of his sentence, the elevator door closed.

 _ **(A/N) There you go. Have a wonderful day and gimme that feedback. PM me (well technically Alx cuz she's in charge of answering those) Sorry again.**_

 _ **-Bé (again, but i'm pretty sure this will be the last time i'll do a (A/N) cuz this is annoying)**_


	5. APOLOGY

**Is anyone still interested in this ff ?**

 **We're considering rewriting the published chapters.**

 **Chapter 1 is ready. We'd just like word from you, a sign of life haha, we're alive :)**

 **Bé x Alix**


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